Comments

To be honest, nothing in this set made me feel like I did with thought-knot seer and reality smasher like last set.
This card...Sacrifice only 5 creature for 9/7 lifelink indesctructible with haste most of the time.
It's bull***** ! This is just rare and it's not even legendary in it's name so you can run multiple westvale abbey !

This is a win condition, just like Avancyn, except it's rare and it's non-legendary. Ok point given that it's transformed part is legendary, but in a deck building around cards like this, by the time it took for the demon to get killed by sacrifice or bounce, it will most likely already did a 9 point difference in lifepoint as minimum and the deck would likely to produce a new demon within 2 turns.

Cards don't have to be mythic rare or legendary to be win conditions. Serra Angel is a win condition in the right format.

This card doesn't do its thing until turn 5, or maybe turn 4 if you're running ramp. Having five creatures on turn 5 is HARD. You'd either have to be running weenies or get a perfect curve of creatures, and even then, you'd have to choose not the attack or block for fear of losing one. Unless the opponent is braindead, you're gonna be attacked for four turns straight. Even the smallest amount of interference from your opponent means you'll have to wait more turns to get your demon. Five creatures isn't easy to come by, and at the end of the day, any bounce spell gets rid of the guy and forces you to replay him as a land. This card is in no way broken or overpowered.

With that logic, it's like you are saying creature who doesn't have hexproof are bad because any control strat will kill the creature....plus it got indestructible and haste so the option are narrowed to let see. instant bounce and exile and how many does those exist in standard right now ? Point given that it shouldn't be the decks only win con ofcourse.

I don't know how you play it but if I were up to a deck with BW color and he has 3 mana or more open, my first thought is not definitely sac 5 token and attack him lol, prob wait untill he is tapped out. there is that and few instant removal that can kill it given it attacks alone or is alone on the field.

when you run this type of deck you are already in control aspect anyway.
1.you don't run small aggresive creature
2.Gameplan is to clear the board and support to protect abbey when needed
3.Enough sustain to survive early game.

It does produce waste mana, which help casting Spatial Contortion / Warping Wail / Reality Smasher / THought-Knot Seer and with the amount of thopter it can produce, it just add a win con that can suprise your opponent once in a while without impacting your deck strategy.

I've been testing with this land since it was first spoiled. At this moment there are plenty of instant speed options for making the creature count necessary. E.O.T Secure the Wastes or sacrificing Hangarback Walker to an effect will help you reach your goal. Crumble to Dust however, is a solid way to answer this Land, as it would be for any non-basic land of note, and since Mono Red, and R/U Drazi decks are relevant, it makes sense to utilize this land in your own decks, as well as side against it with Crumble to Dust